SPECIAL SECTION: TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
THE WHY
Technology is everywhere. Kids and adults alike utilize at least
some form of technology in their everyday lives. From socializing to
shopping, to reading and working, technology is inevitable in today’s
society. Parents, teachers, community leaders, and governmental
representatives are speaking up for their kids and pushing to redefine
success and rethink measuring success in the classroom. Skills such
as knowledge, social abilities, emotional intelligence and dispositions
are all crucial for a student’s success in the workforce, yet many of
these skills are overlooked in the typical classroom setting. Educators
are working toward providing students with meaningful learning
opportunities through technology that encompass all of the aspects
that make up success for a graduating high school senior entering
college or the workforce.
THE WHO
Teachers
Near the end of 2015, the U.S. Department of Education released
the 2016 National Education Technology Plan as a commitment to
supporting personalized professional learning to provide greater equity
of access to technology for students across America. In addition, the
Future Ready initiative, developed by the department in 2014, had
more than 2,000 superintendents across the country who pledged to
integrate digital learning into their districts’ curricula. The National
Education Technology Plan also includes a focus on providing each
student with the chance to engage in educational experiences led by
technology.
In addition, Education Week states that digital instructional content
is the second largest spend in the K-12 educational technology market,
just behind hardware. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Pearson,
previously known for their paperback publishing, are pushing out the
most digital lessons in math, English/language arts, science, business,
and fine arts.
Students
No student is the same. Each has a different family life, upbringing,
ability to communicate and learn, and yet these students are all being
taught the same way. Schools across the country are shifting from
a one-size-fits-all approach to a personalized learning approach. A
current buzzword in education, personalized learning allows students
to become part of their learning experience. Students will be in control
of creating content for learning using smartphone apps. This approach
intends to put students at the forefront of molding their learning
experience, resulting in stronger student engagement and therefore
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